The present invention was first disclosed in the Disclosure Document filed on Jan. 9, 1999. There have been no previously filed, nor any co-pending applications, anywhere in the world.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to children""s toys, and, more particularly, to a teddy bear plush toy and game combination.
2. Description of the Related Art
The toy industry is a multi billion dollar, global industry that is continually growing as more and more products are developed and introduced to the buying public. The toy industry is somewhat unique in the sense that it is highly susceptible to trendy products or fads.
This is due most likely to the fact that children fall easily to peer pressure and, as a result, when a toy product achieves a certain level of popularity among children, demand can skyrocket in a domino effect manner.
That is not necessarily to say that these products require revolutionary or innovative designs. To the contrary, items such as Cabbage Patch and Tickle Me Elmo are otherwise conventional dolls that have achieved enormous, even record, popularity based primarily on their attractiveness to children.
The functionality of the invention comes from the combination of existing games and concepts with a twist, to create a new and novel product that children love. This being the case, one never can tell what the success of a new toy will be. In fact, new toys and games are essential to keeping children""s interest in playing peaked.
Children of all ages enjoy playing games, and are always on the lookout for new and novel games that are enjoyable to play. Parents appreciate these games, since they keep their children from getting into trouble. Children also enjoy holding and playing with teddy bears.
The teddy bear is a favorite among children. Incorporating a teddy bear configuration into a children""s game adds both the excitement of the game with the recognition and lovableness of a teddy bear configuration. Such a configuration also provides the child with the choice of playing with the stuffed teddy bear as a plush toy or playing the game which incorporates the plush toy. Such a configuration also saves the parents money, in that the child receives a plush toy and game in one.
In the related art, several devices are disclosed that describe removable clothing for a doll. These include U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,400, issued in the name of Bass, U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,673, issued in the name of Fogarty et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,886, issued in the name of Jenkins, U.S. Pat. No. 3,668,805, issued in the name of Coleman and U.S. Pat. No. 1,330,043, issued in the name of Offutt.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,222, issued in the name of Kling, describes a doll with removable organs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,900, issued in the name of Pearson, discloses an educational doll with changeable face elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,355, issued in the name of Silverstein, describes a toy doll with a detachable pacifier.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,917, issued in the name of Russell et al, describes a tear-apart stress relief doll and method.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,537, issued in the name of Leahy, discloses a take-apart toy that can be reassembled.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that anticipate directly many features of the instant invention. Consequently, a need has been felt for providing a new game and plush toy combination that incorporates the teddy bear plush toy configuration with an action children""s game.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved teddy bear plush toy and game combination that allows children to enjoy the benefits of a plush toy teddy bear while also allowing the present invention to be used as a game.
Briefly described according to one embodiment of the present invention, a teddy bear plush toy and game combination is disclosed, comprising a plush, or stuffed, toy that is configured as a teddy bear. The teddy bear holds a container configured to resemble a bee hive. The container has a removable lid. Small bee-shaped plastic balls, call xe2x80x9cbeesxe2x80x9d, are stored inside of the container. The plastic balls are covered with strips of hook and loop fastener, such as VELCRO(copyright). The container is releasably affixed to the teddy bear itself.
To use the present invention as a game, the teddy bear may be placed in a sitting position on a floor or other flat surface. A child or group of children, then take turns throwing the bee shaped balls at the teddy bear. A winning throw occurs when the xe2x80x9cbeesxe2x80x9d sticks to the bear. When finished, the xe2x80x9cbeesxe2x80x9d are stored back in the container for safekeeping. Additionally, the child may play with the present invention like any other stuffed animal, with or without the container attached to the teddy bear.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device that can be used as both a game and a plush toy. This provides the child with the choice of playing with either the teddy bear as a plush toy or using the teddy bear to play the game. This also saves the parents money, as the child receives both the stuffed toy and the game in one.